Photographs
by CelticX
Summary: Sachiko and Yumi become soeurs . . . as seen from a slightly different point of view.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is actually the very first story I wrote for MSGM FF. While it follows the original storyline of Volume 1 of the light novel (episodes 1 – 3 of the anime) fairly well there are, because of the different point of view, some additional scenes; along with some gratuitous "service" at the end just because it was fun.

I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to review or comment.

I do not own any of the characters of MSGM. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

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Chapter 1

_Click, click, click, click, click . . ._

"Never take one shot when 4 or 5, or a dozen, will do" was the motto that Tsutako Takeshima lived by; that and to _never_ go anywhere without her camera. Tsutako wanted to become a professional photographer upon her graduation from college. Her love affair with the camera had begun towards the end of her elementary school days when she had the chance to wander the high school division of Lillian Girls Academy one year during the school festival. The photography club's exhibit of various types of cameras – from new to ancient – and the artfully presented photographs that had been taken with these uncanny devices had sealed her fate.

She had gone straight from the festival to her piggy bank and that poor, porcelain animal had given up its life to help purchase her first digital camera. Although cheap by comparison to the higher quality cameras available at the time, the photos that first camera had produced were, at least in her opinion, exquisite. She had discovered an innate talent for finding and taking photos that became the envy of every amateur photographer in the school. While she frequently took photos of flora, wildlife, and scenery, her favorite subjects would always be people; particularly high school girls.

Due to her outgoing personality, charm, and obvious love of her art, she seemed to be able to win over all but the most stubborn of her targets. This ability also made her the darling of the school newspaper staff. Although she was not an actual club member, the editors and writers for the _Lillian Kawaraban_ sought her out as photographic support for their most troublesome articles. These typically fell into the area of gossip, innuendo, and your basic tabloid journalism (no one said that the editor's were above reproach in the performance of _their_ art) but Tsutako took it all in stride. She loved taking photos of people in all kinds of situations and seemed to luck into being in the right place at the right time more often than not.

Thus, she found herself once again in the perfect position for the perfect picture.

_It had begun as a joke. _

_Yumi heard the soft clicking of a camera shutter and sighed in resignation._

"_Come out, come out, wherever you are Tsutako-san," she called._

_Tsutako came wandering up over the low rise of a nearby ridge, laughing at being caught out. "You are getting very observant Yumi-san. Most people would never have known I was there, let alone taking their photo. So what was that expression just now? That was a new one."_

"_Never you mind Tsutako-san. I just had some things on my mind, nothing special," Yumi replied with a smile for her friend. She had been studying on the lawn outside the education building in her favorite spot and enjoying the early summer sunshine. Katsura-san was off at her tennis club and she had thought Tsutako was at the photography club._

"_What brings you here Tsutako-san?" she asked, "I thought you had club activities today."_

"_Nope, just like you I'm simply enjoying the day and taking the opportunity to capture some exciting expressions from my favorite target," she giggled, sitting down beside Yumi. _

"_I thought the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton was your favorite target," Yumi said with a frown, "How did I suddenly get moved up a spot?"_

"_Since you're here and she isn't," the bespectacled photographer replied with a grin._

"_What do you mean? She is right over there," Yumi said, pointing across the lawn towards a small copse of trees. _

_Tsutako followed Yumi's finger and, sure enough, there was the usual object of her camera's desires, Sachiko Ogasawara. Putting the viewfinder to her eye she focused the telephoto lens and brought the image of Sachiko-sama closer. She was sitting on a bench, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and reading a text book preparing for the end of semester finals, just like Yumi-san._

"_When did she get here?" Tsutako asked with a thoughtful expression, "I didn't see her when I passed by earlier."_

"_Just a few minutes after I did," Yumi replied, "I saw her arrive with a few members of the Sachiko-sama Fan Club trailing behind. She turned and said a few words to them, they bowed briefly and then they left. She's been sitting there ever since."_

"_You know Yumi-san, interestingly enough, I think I could probably find Sachiko-sama these days just by following you around," she ventured with a serious look. "There is something to be said for the theory that two people, destined to be together, will eventually find each other."_

"_Now who is dreaming," Yumi huffed in annoyance. "If I happen to see Sachiko-sama sometime during the day I consider it a bonus. I do not search her out nor, I am sure, does she even know I exist, let alone search me out. There are such things as coincidences and, in a school setting with a limited amount of open space it is not uncommon for two people to run into each other every so often."_

"_So you say, but I think I might like to experiment with this," Tsutako said with a grin, "my muse is kicking up a storm."_

And so Tsutako had taken to following Yumi-san around, surreptitiously of course, just to see if her hypothesis was correct. Based on what she saw in front of her this morning, she had no doubts whatsoever.

The scene was absolutely beautiful: two young women, dressed in the modest school uniform of Lillian Girls' Academy, standing directly in front of the white stone statue of Maria-sama. The girls were facing one another, the taller one gently fixing the collar and scarf of the smaller.

The taller had a serene smile on her face, as if her thoughts were solely for the one in front of her. The smaller girl, on the other hand, looked as surprised and awed as a field mouse when spied by an owl; struck immobile and unable look away from the taller girl. You could see the adoration in the girl's eyes despite the over-awed appearance.

As the taller girl moved off, her job obviously complete, Tsutako reviewed the shots just taken on the camera's small display screen. It was always hard to tell until she had actually printed out the shots, but it looked like shot 2 was probably the best of the five she had been able to snap in quick succession. After the tens of thousands of pictures she had taken since first picking up a camera she had a pretty good idea as to which would be the most suitable for printing and possible publication. In this case she was sure that she had one for display at the upcoming school festival – given, of course, that she could obtain the permission of the two subjects. She never published photos of individuals without first obtaining their permission.

Luckily she knew both girls and knew it would be easier to approach the shorter of the two first. Even she was awed and, to be honest, slightly afraid of confronting the taller girl without some backup.

The shorter girl, Yumi Fukuzawa, was a first-year high school student here at Lillian just like herself. She had spoken to Yumi many times since the entrance ceremony almost five months ago and had found her to be a sweet and charming, if somewhat innocent, unassuming and unsure girl that would go out of her way to help the few friends she had. With her shorter stature, light brown hair that she kept in two short twin tails, and large, expressive, dark brown eyes, she was the epitome of that meek field mouse. Her one fatal flaw, if you could call it that, was her face. Though undeniably cute, she could never keep her face from displaying all of the emotions that passed through her. It was sometimes startling, sometimes funny, and always entertaining to watch her as thoughts and emotions flitted across her features. The greatest thing about her was her approachability. She could never turn anyone away.

The taller girl, on the other hand, was almost the exact opposite of Yumi. Sachiko Ogasawara was the school idol. Always prim and elegant – a proper Lillian girl – she also came across as somewhat cold and aloof. Some went so far as to call here the "Ice Queen". She obviously cared about both Lillian and the girls attending the school, but her sometimes harsh attitude made her unapproachable by many. And, she was the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, petite soeur to Youko Mizuno, the current Rosa Chinensis, and member of the Yamayurikai, the student council here at Lillian.

Where Yumi would easily be considered cute and good looking, Sachiko was more classically beautiful. Her tall slender frame and long black hair, accentuated by her ever present poise and grace, made her the poster girl for Lillian more so than anyone else in the school.

No, Tsutako knew she couldn't approach Sachiko-sama directly without some sort of support, and Yumi met her needs perfectly. She would wait until classes ended for the day before approaching Yumi with her request. It also gave her time during lunch to validate and print just the right shot that she was sure would tantalize Yumi the most. Tsutako even had a tentative title for the photo: "Discipline".

Smiling guiltily to herself as she walked towards her classroom, she knew that she was going to end up using Yumi somewhat, but that Yumi would also be getting something from the deal with an opportunity to once again stand in the presence of the girl she so admired.

-0-

Lunchtime found Tsutako in the photography club room plugging her camera's USB cable into the club's computer to download the photos she had taken that morning. Of the five shots of Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama, shot 2 was indeed the best of the lot. It took almost no time to clean and print a color glossy 5 x 7 of the photo and, with a somewhat devilish grin, she looked forward to the end of classes.

Despite having cleaning duty for the day, Tsutako was able to catch up with Yumi just as the girl was finishing up her own cleaning of the music room with a few other girls.

"Yumi-san," Tsutako called.

"Tsutako-san, have you finished cleaning the classroom already?" Yumi asked.

"Yes, do you have a few minutes you can spare me?"

"Of course," responded Yumi with a smile, "how may I be of assistance to our 'ace photographer'?"

Her classmates excused themselves and hurried off to their club activities while Tsutako and Yumi moved to a quieter location down the hallway.

"Let me get to the point," Tsutako started with a smirk, already knowing exactly where this would be going. "You know that I always obtain the prior consent of my subjects before I publish any photos of them; for example, photos like this . . ." she grinned, holding up the recently printed photo for Yumi's inspection.

The brown haired girl's reaction, while predictable, was everything Tsutako could have hoped for. Eyes widening with desire, her hand tentatively reaching for the photo, Yumi asked, "C-can I have this?"

"I thought you might ask that," Tsutako teased, holding the photo just out of Yumi's reach. "I know you are a fan of Sachiko-sama's . . . and I don't mind giving you a copy . . . but I have two small conditions."

"Conditions," Yumi stammered again, still reaching for the photo kept just beyond her grasping fingers.

"That's right, conditions. Neither one should be beyond your capabilities," she continued. "First, that you allow me to display the photo at the upcoming school festival in the photography club's exhibit," Tsutako intoned.

"Tsutako-san," Yumi laughed hesitantly backing away now, hands clutched to her breast, but still wanting that photo, "you must be joking."

"I promise you, this is no joke Yumi-san. I think that this photo has a good chance to win me first place in the photography contest.

"The second condition" she went on as Yumi once again began reaching for the photo, "is that you help me get the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton's permission to display the photo as well."

Yumi's eyes widened again, this time with trepidation, and she started backing away once more from Tsutako as if to put distance between herself and these _small_ conditions. "You can't be serious. You can ask Sachiko-sama yourself. You don't need me!" she exclaimed.

"Despite what you may think, Yumi-san, even I find those in the Yamayurikai to be somewhat . . . intimidating. They seem so much above the rest of us that, at times, they are simply too difficult to approach," Tsutako admitted quietly.

"And you think that it would be any different for me," Yumi squeaked.

"Think about it Yumi-san, Sachiko-sama does _not_ bother herself with the uniform scarf of just any underclassman," Tsutako pointed out waving her finger in front of Yumi's nose, "and yet this morning she retied yours with her own two hands. Do you know how amazing that is!

"Look at this picture," she said, once again presenting the photo for Yumi's inspection. "You look just like soeurs; like an onee-sama correcting the dress of her petite soeur."

"Oh, I could never presume . . ." Yumi exclaimed, hands to her mouth and utter shock in her large, expressive eyes at the thought of her and Sachiko-sama as soeurs. Tsutako could easily read her thoughts as they flashed across her expressive features. _It would be beyond impossible. Yumi was plain; uninteresting; a nobody. There was no way that someone like Sachiko Ogasawara would ever be interested in someone like her._ These were the thoughts that flashed through the pig-tailed girls mind and were easily deciphered by anyone that knew her.

Tsutako sighed to herself. Yumi's lack of self-confidence was sometimes so painful to see. She was cute, vibrant, funny, friendly to anyone that gave her half a chance, and one of the kindest people that Tsutako had ever met. Yumi just couldn't see herself the way others saw her. She had made a lot of progress since Tsutako had first met the girl. She and Katsura-san had made it a project since the beginning of the school year to try to instill some amount of self-confidence in their little fledgling. She knew she wasn't the best person to help, but she promised to do everything in her power to see that 'potential Yumi' come to fruition. If she could only gain even just a _little_ more confidence in herself, Tsutako could see her becoming a major force on this campus.

And so, after a few more minutes of persuasion on Tsutako's part, the two girls found themselves walking along the cobbled path towards the Rose Mansion, the home of the Yamayurikai, Lillian's student council and, hopefully, the current location of one Sachiko Ogasawara, Rosa Chinensis en Bouton; a girl that, if Tsutako was to be perfectly honest with herself, was sometimes one very scary lady.

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I did warn you that this was from a slightly different point of view didn't I. :) As always, comments and reviews are more than welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I hope that you are enjoying this slightly different persepctive on Yumi's and Sachiko's turbulent first two weeks. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter.

Thanks to those that have reviewed and commented on this story. I really do appreciate it. As a new member, I am more than willing to learn as I go along. As suggested, I have updated the genre. Frankly, I am never sure how to determine what genres should be used.

Anyway, thanks again and please keep those cards and letters coming in. :)

I do not own the characters of MSGM. Such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

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Chapter 2

Reminiscing later on the extraordinary events that took place that afternoon, Tsutako didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. It was just so _'__Yumi'_.

They had entered the Rose Mansion with Shimako Todo, the Rosa Gigantea en Bouton and a fellow classmate, who had happened to be walking behind them when they approached the small but elegant wooden structure.

The three had gone upstairs to the meeting room where Shimako-san assured them that Sachiko-sama would be at that hour. Before they could even open the door, however, Sachiko had stormed out of the room, fire in her eyes, and promptly run directly into Yumi, knocking the both of them down with Sachiko landing on top of the shorter girl. After properly apologizing and assuring herself that Yumi was uninjured, Sachiko had then gone about determining that Yumi was both a first-year student and that she did not yet have a grande soeur. Asking Yumi then to please introduce herself to those in the room, (_a very clever way for Sachiko to learn Yumi's name without making it obvious, Tsutako thought amusedly_) Sachiko had then suddenly declared to all present that Yumi Fukuzawa would be her petite soeur.

The contained uproar that followed, complete with declarations, explanations, accusations and remonstrations, all conducted in a very lady-like manner of course as befitted the maidens of Lillian Girl's Academy, and despite its seriousness, was one of the most enjoyable scenes that Tsutako has witnessed in many a day.

In attendance that afternoon were the three current Roses – Youko Mizuno, the Rosa Chinensis, and Sachiko's grande soeur; Sei Sato, the Rosa Gigantea; and Eriko Torii, the Rosa Foetida. In addition to Shimako who had followed them into the room after that fateful collision, there was also the Rosa Foetida en Bouton, Rei Hasekura, and her petite soeur, Yoshino Shimazu. Only Rei and Yoshino seemed happy to simply watch from the sidelines and allow their seniors to handle the situation. Even the beautiful but soft spoken Shimako eventually got a few words in.

It seemed that the Yamayurikai had decided to do a production of _Cinderella_ for the upcoming school festival and, without her knowledge or consent, had cast Sachiko in the title role. That was fine with Sachiko until she found out that the part of the prince would be played, not by the boyishly good looking Rei-sama, but instead by the student body president of Hanadera Academy, an all male academy located on the other side of the hill from Lillian. The decision to put Sachiko in the lead role of Cinderella had been made by the Roses, in part, in order to help Sachiko mend her extreme dislike of men; the very reason that she had not attended any of the joint Lillian-Hanadera meetings regarding the play in the first place.

Sachiko was irate that such a decision had been made without her consent. The response from the Roses had been that anyone that could not even find a petite soeur had no say in the matter. This resulted in Sachiko's loud declaration that, since all she needed to do to get out of the role was to go out and find a petite soeur, then that is exactly what she would do; whereupon she had stormed out of the room and run directly into poor Yumi.

To put it succinctly, Sachiko had declared Yumi, someone she had not met until that very morning and whose name she had contrived to learn without giving away that she herself did not know it, her petite soeur all because she wanted out of the role of Cinderella. At least, that was the way it appeared to Tsutako and, based on the stricken look on Yumi's face, to Yumi as well.

Tsutako had been so angry at this deliberate misuse of one of her friends that she had completely forgotten her earlier fear and was about to flail the skin from that stuck up ice queen when she noticed something that caused her hold her tongue. Sachiko may have presented her declaration to the Roses in a manner the equivalent of stating that she had to use the toilet, but behind those stern and rebellious Ogasawara eyes Tsutako saw the possible stirrings of something else; something other than simple cold-hearted calculation.

There had been a brief moment, barely seen but certainly there, when Sachiko had looked into Yumi's eyes as they lay sprawled on the floor and there had been a flicker of something more than simple concern for someone she had arbitrarily and accidentally knocked on her "bottom". Tsutako couldn't say what it was, not yet, but she was sure she had seen emotions that she rarely saw on Sachiko-sama's face. Surprise certainly, and concern of course, but there had been more than that; a hint, just a possibly, of things to come.

That same flicker of (_confusion? interest? desire?)_ surfaced once again as Sachiko-sama stared at her grand soeur and the rest of the Roses. It was enough to cause Tsutako to snap her mouth shut just before she lashed out at the dark haired beauty. Instead, she had continued to watch as the drama unfolded.

When the Roses had questioned whether Sachiko had ever even met the short, cute, wide-eyed girl, Shimako had reminded them that Yumi had come to the Rose Mansion for the specific purpose of seeing Sachiko-sama.

When Tsutako had shown them the picture that she had taken of the two girls just that morning, the Roses admitted that it was possible that the two of them did, indeed, know one another.

However, it was obvious to both Tsutako and Yumi that Sachiko remembered neither Yumi nor the moment of their meeting as the photo showed. Tsutako's heart went out to the poor girl when she saw the pain in Yumi's eyes as she realized that Sachiko didn't remember the moment that had meant so much to her. That had probably been the last straw for Yumi, but, even still, Tsutako was shocked when Yumi had refused the offer of the Sachiko's rosary as she attempted to present it to her per the customary ceremony. Tsutako knew that Yumi more than admired Sachiko. She knew that it came closer to adoration than admiration, but still Yumi had refused to become Sachiko's petite soeur.

"I'm sorry," Yumi had stammered with tears in her eyes. "While I am a fan of Sachiko-sama's and . . . I can't explain it very well, but . . . just because I admire Sachiko-sama it doesn't necessarily mean that I want to become her little sister and . . .and _as_ a fan of Sachiko-sama . . . I-I-I have my own sense of pride and . . .and . . ." She trailed off, obviously unable to understand, let alone give voice to the turmoil of emotions flowing through her at that moment. A thin trail of tears was slowly falling from her eyes. Tsutako wanted nothing more than to hold the girl at that moment as she had done on more than one occasion.

Impossibly, Tsutako saw a similar pain rise in Sachiko's eyes as she looked at the young girl that had just rejected her. She knew that Sachiko had been rejected once already when Shimako had chosen Sei Sato to be her grande soeur rather than Sachiko. So this made two rejections for Bouton. It had to have hurt. Anyone else would probably be devastated.

However, true to her personality, Sachiko simply turned around and tried to use the opportunity of the Rose's sympathy to once again try to get out of having to play the role of Cinderella. Of course, the Roses wouldn't think of allowing such a thing to happen, at which point Yumi once again surprised her when, despite the pain this woman had just caused her, she tried to come to Sachiko's rescue.

"Um . . . wouldn't it be possible to ask the Hanadera council to withdraw from the play just this once," she asked, "I mean, you all have some responsibility for . . ."

"Oh, are you still here," Sachiko had said coldly, her shoulders stiff with injured pride. Tsutako had to hold herself back from knocking that pride half way across the room.

It was Sei Sato that, for surely inscrutable reasons of her own, somehow came to her rescue. With a devilish twinkle in her eye, she offered a penalty game as a possible solution to Sachiko's dilemma. If Sachiko could make Yumi her petite soeur before the day of the production, Sachiko could step down from the role of Cinderella; but, if she were to thus step down, Yumi would then have to take on the Cinderella role in her stead.

Despite Yumi's protests, the Roses decided that this was an acceptable alternative to simply forcing Sachiko to play the role against her wishes and, with that decision made, the meeting was adjourned.

-0-

"Damn," Tsutako muttered as she and Yumi walked out of the Rose Mansion and headed toward the front gate, "I didn't get the chance to ask Sachiko-sama for her permission to display the photo at the festival exhibit. You know, Yumi-san, if you had accepted Sachiko's rosary, it would have been much easier to get her permission. I don't understand why you refused the rosary in the first place. I know you like Sachiko. Whatever got into you?"

"As I said, it's hard to explain," Yumi said quietly, "Especially when surrounded by so many people. I don't know if you can understand, but . . . how would you feel if someone you greatly admired but had never spoken to and had never even met until that day, who didn't even know your name, suddenly asked you to be her petite soeur just to help her get out of a jam?"

"Well," Tsutako answered slowly, smiling inwardly at Yumi's directness. Despite the pain the girl must have endured, she had actually stood up for herself when she had rejected Sachiko's offer. It was the first positive step along the road that Tsutako hoped to help Yumi tread. "Well, I guess I can see your point. Was it really you that she wanted, or would anyone have done at that moment?"

"I mean," Yumi went on, her voice catching and tears once again threatening, "I would have loved to be Sachiko-sama's petite soeur – I still would – but at that time, in that place, and for that reason, I just couldn't accept her rosary; no matter how much I really wanted to."

The tears were falling more rapidly now and Tsutako put an arm around Yumi's shoulders and pulled her in tight.

"I'm so sorry, Yumi" she started. "I . . ."

At that moment, as they approached the statue of Maria-sama, Tsutako heard footsteps coming up quickly from behind.

Turning, she saw Sachiko walking briskly towards them. She wasn't running, Sachiko would never run on campus, but she was obviously trying to catch up with them.

Yumi, noticing the direction of Tsutako's gaze, slowly wiped her eyes and turned around.

Stopping in front of them, Sachiko looked directly into Yumi's eyes and, with more than a note of determination in her voice and a small smile on her face, stated, "Mark my words Yumi Fukuzawa-san, I _will_ make you my petite soeur before the day of the production. You can count on it. I will _not_ lose." And with that she walked past the two stunned students and continued on towards the front gate, head high, back straight, and shoulders proud.

Based on the level of shock she saw on Yumi's face, Tsutako smiled to herself. This was surely going to be an interesting two weeks until the school festival and, she was certain, would offer up any number of additional opportunities to expand her growing photo gallery!

Now, if only Yumi could _survive_ it.

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Reviews and comments will be warmly welcomed.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: hey all. Thank you all again for your reviews and comments. As always I appreciate your words of encouragement. Sice comments always equal rewards, here is Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure. Enjoy.

I do not own the characters for MSGM. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

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Chapter 3

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of activity throughout the Lillian campus. Tsutako seemed to be constantly running: from the bus, to class, to the club room, grab lunch somewhere in that time (hopefully), back to class, and then running around campus on one errand or another for the photography club or, her preferred activity, heading to the auditorium to snap photos of the ongoing rehearsals for the Yamayurikai's rendition of _Cinderella_.

One lunch period a few days after the altercation in the Rose Mansion, Sachiko-sama had stopped her on her way to the club room to ask if she knew where Yumi was. Tsutako no longer wanted to strangle the woman on sight after what Sachiko had told them in front of the Maria-sama statue, but instead had decided that she would do whatever was in her power to see Yumi's dream fulfilled.

They had found Yumi behind the education building eating lunch with Shimako-san while sitting among the ginkgos and the one, solitary sakura tree. Sachiko had presented Yumi with a copy of the script for _Cinderella_ and had told her that she had been assigned the part of 'Wicked Step-Sister B', assuming she didn't end up in the title role herself by accepting Sachiko's rosary sometime before the production. Yumi had stammered her understanding and Sachiko had quickly turned on her heel and left. It seemed, according to Shimako, that Sachiko did not care for ginkgo trees; something about the odor of the fallen nuts. Tsutako had had to laugh at that, until Shimako had pointed out that it had probably taken a great deal of effort for Sachiko to have come looking for Yumi in this place.

Tsutako had then spent every possible moment snapping candid shots of the rehearsals as they progressed over the coming days. She had also taken the formal publicity photos that were to be used in the public posters and flyers that would be posted or handed out to the students.

She also took every opportunity she found, both in class as well as at rehearsals, to speak with Yumi. She did everything she could to try to bolster the girl's confidence and impress upon her that she _wasn't_ a "nobody", that she had friends that loved her, and that she had a lot to offer; that Sachiko Ogasawara would be an extremely lucky girl to have someone like Yumi as her petite soeur. She didn't know how much actually got through to Yumi, but she had done her best.

It was the day before the production that the Rosa Chinensis, Youko Mizuno, found her sometime after the completion of the final dress rehearsal.

She had been hurrying along the paths back towards the photography club room to process the last selection of rehearsal photos when she had heard someone call her name. Looking towards the source of the call, she had seen the Rosa Chinensis waving for her to wait up for her.

"Rosa Chinensis," Tsutako said somewhat out of breath, "how may I be of service?" The two had spoken a few times during rehearsals but had never gone much beyond the technical. She had no idea what the Rose would want with her now.

"Walk with me a bit," Youko said with a gentle smile on her face as she approached the winded photographer. "Slow down and catch your breath. We can continue on to your club room, at least I assume that was where you were headed so quickly. You have been running around so much recently we haven't had any time to talk. I hope I won't take up too much of your time, but I needed to ask you a favor."

With her curiosity now suddenly peaked, Tsutako walked slowly beside the older girl.

"Certainly, if there is something I can do for you, and it is within my power, I would be more than happy to do so," she responded after a few steps, falling into the polite form of speech that she always found herself mimicking when in the presence of the Roses and their Bouton's. "What is it you need?"

"Actually, I was hoping that you would let me take a look at the rehearsal photos you have taken over the last couple of weeks."

Tsutako laughed loudly enough to gather some looks from passing students and a strange glance from the Rosa Chinensis.

"I'm sorry Rosa Chinensis. I didn't mean to laugh, but you said that you didn't want to take up too much time. I am afraid that looking over _all_ of the photos I have taken of the rehearsals could take quite a _bit_ of time. Luckily, I have that time to spare if you need it. Everything for the school festival is already in place, at least as far as my efforts are concerned, so I am yours for the rest of the afternoon."

Indeed, the photography club's exhibit was set up in one of the premier spots on the ground floor of the education building. Everyone visiting would, at some point, pass by the exhibit as they found their way to the student's classrooms and the teachers waiting there, available to discuss their charges. She expected that thousands of people would be able to see the presentation of "Discipline" that she had finally gotten enough courage to ask Sachiko's permission to exhibit. It had taken Sachiko only a moment's thought to give her permission, glancing over to where Yumi was speaking with Sei-sama at one of the rehearsals only three days ago. A small smile had played along her lips briefly before she turned back and allowed the exhibition of the photograph.

Tsutako hoped that they weren't too shocked when they saw the finished product. She just couldn't have left it as a small 5x7 to be hidden in some corner of the display. Instead she had blown it up, maintaining the original ratio, to poster size and framed it in a simple yet elegant gold colored frame. She had, however, with not some little worry and a whole lot of hope, printed out a hundred or so 5x7 copies to be on hand for sale should the audience react to the photo the way she expected.

"Well then," Youko said, taking Tsutako by the arm and leading the pair forward, "let us by all means retire to your club room and look them over. I hope you have tea," she asked with a smile?

"Of course!"

-0-

Youko was fairly quiet as Tsutako went about making and then serving tea to her guest, leaving Tsutako to hold up the majority of the one-sided conversation. When the tea had been served she then went about setting up the computer and projector so that the two of them could view the photos on the larger, pull down screen installed for just this purpose.

"To give you a little background Rosa Chinensis, and the reason for my earlier laughter, I typically take more photos than most other photographers do. In part this is so that I have a larger selection to choose from for my finished products. The other part is more for me than for anyone else. Sometimes I find gems that I would never publish, but that I want to keep nevertheless. Over the past two weeks I have probably taken something over a thousand photos during the rehearsals."

This statement got the reaction that she expected from the Rosa Chinensis, a small "Oh, my; that many?"

"That's how many I originally took, but I have weeded it down quite a bit since then. I usually end up deleting around seventy or eighty percent of the photos I take for one reason or another. The focus may not be as keen as I would like, or the subjects may be too far out of center-frame, or for any number of other technical reasons. I also toss out many that for one reason or another I am just not satisfied with or just don't like the end results. It just so happens that, in this case, I ended up keeping around forty percent or so. That means somewhere around four hundred photos."

Youko was obviously listening carefully and nodding in all the right places, indicating an intense interest.

"I hope you are not so much of a perfectionist that you end up throwing out the baby with the bath water," Youko grinned.

"Hardly," Tsutako laughed, "There are some that I keep, even if they aren't perfect, that just strike me as having that certain _something_ that says 'Here I am. Love me'! I can't tell you what it is, and it is probably different for each photograph, but there you have it. They are born and they intend to stay."

"I totally understand," Youko nodded. "I have some very dear friends like that," she added with her own wicked smile setting Tsutako off again.

Tsutako had finished with her setup and transferred the display from computer monitor to the projector showing about a dozen or so individual folders on the larger screen.

"Are you interested in seeing all of them or just some subset?" Tsutako asked.

"Actually, I was hoping that I could get you to show me the photos you have taken of Sachiko and Yumi if you have them separated out. It would certainly take less time than searching through all of the photos."

Tsutako nodded and double clicked on a folder with the name "S&Y – RB" on it. The screen changed to show thumbnails of each of the individual photos. The photos were in chronological order and you could easily see the progression of the rehearsals from the thumbnails alone.

"I understand the 'S&Y' in the folder title," the Rosa Chinensis said. "But what does the 'RB stand for?"

Rather than answering directly, Tsutako double clicked on the "slideshow" icon and sat back.

The first picture appeared full screen and showed Yumi on the left side of the photo with Sachiko speaking to Rei further away and more towards the right. You could easily see the pain and confusion in Yumi's eyes as she looked longingly at Sachiko across the room.

Tsutako clicked on the remote she held in her right hand and brought up the next photo.

It was the same tableau, but Yumi had turned away, head down and shoulders slumped in dejection. Across the room Sachiko had raised her head and was now looking at Yumi with some concern.

The next photo showed Sachiko and Yumi leaning against a wall, more than three or four feet apart, neither paying much attention to the other.

_Click._

Sachiko and Yumi performing some portion of the play.

_Click._

Sachiko and Yumi again leaning against a wall, supposedly watching some other portion of the rehearsal. This time they were only about two feet apart.

_Click, click, click . . ._

A series of photos with Sachiko and Yumi each dancing with their own partner during the ballroom scene. They were both occasionally and surreptitiously looking more towards each other than they were looking at their partners.

_Click._

Sachiko and Yumi, sitting on the apron of the stage, speaking quietly.

_Click._

Sachiko and Yumi during a partial dress rehearsal. It was the scene with Sachiko as Cinderella helping "Sister B" into her ball gown. Sachiko's hand was resting gently on Yumi's shoulder. Her face held an expression that had nothing to do with the scene.

_Click._

Sachiko and Yumi, sitting on the floor in front of the stage. Each wore a slight smile like they were sharing a private joke.

The slideshow went on in this vein, each photo showing the girls getting progressively friendlier with each other and drawing inevitably closer. Here smiling, there a gentle touch, another of a concerned Sachiko, one showing the two outright laughing, an extremely rare occurrence for the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton.

_Click._

A candid moment; Sachiko and Yumi dancing together in a corner while everyone else was focused on the stage. The smiles on their faces showed how close they had become.

_Click._

The slideshow ended and the screen returned to the thumbnails. Both girls sat back with a sigh.

Youko gave a brief giggle. She put her hand to her mouth, but it did no good to silence the next, longer giggle. Then it seemed that she couldn't stop giggling. Tsutako wasn't sure that she had ever heard the Rosa Chinensis giggle in that manner.

"Oh. Oh my," she gasped as the giggles finally began to run down. "Let me guess. When you weren't spending time taking photos you were talking to Yumi; telling her how everything would work out; that Sachiko did indeed like her and that it was only a matter of time. Am I close?" she asked.

"Right on the money," Tsutako smiled back at her. "I could easily see how those two _should_ get along even if _they_ didn't. Sachiko may have gone into this little 'penalty game' determined not to lose, but somewhere along the way, her desires changed. She didn't just want to win some stupid game and get out of playing the role of Cinderella. Somehow, some way, she learned enough about Yumi, spoke enough _with_ Yumi that she began to see Yumi not as some means to an end, but for who Yumi was herself."

"It seems that we were unwittingly co-conspirators," Youko nodded. "While you were talking to Yumi and bolstering her spirits, I was speaking with Sachiko and trying to get her to see Yumi as the wonderful girl she truly is.

"You know, it was somewhat over a year ago that Sachiko became my petite soeur and over that time I have fully and truly come to love that girl as much as I can love anyone. In contrast, I have known Yumi for less than two weeks, but in that short amount of time I seem to have come to love her just as much as I do Sachiko.

"I would never tell them that, of course," she went on with a sly grin and looking directly into Tsutako's eyes with just a hint of warning, "it would ruin my stern and upright reputation."

Tsutako giggled at that. She knew the Rosa Chinensis was as much admired as any of the Roses by the Lillian students and faculty, if not more so. She also knew that the Rosa Chinensis had a reputation for speaking her mind and getting her way. But over the past couple of weeks, Tsutako had also seen the deeply loving side of this prim and upright young lady.

With those words, and those thoughts, Tsutako made a decision.

Reaching into her the skirt pocket of her uniform, she pulled out a flash drive, looking down at it as she addressed the Rosa Chinensis.

"Do you remember earlier this afternoon, when Sachiko-sama and Yumi-san were doing their final rehearsal of the dressing scene before the ball?"

"I do," Youko said with interest in her voice. She was obviously curious as to where this was going to lead.

"Do you remember those few moments when both Sachiko and Yumi seemed to briefly forget their lines?"

"Yes. I was off-stage but I noticed it and had just turned around to see what was going on when Sachiko resumed her lines. What of it?"

Tsutako slipped the flash drive into another USB socket on the side of the computer and brought up the contents as she continued to speak.

"I honestly believe that someone up there likes me sometimes. I have been blessed on more than one occasion with being in just the right place, at just the right time, to get some of the most beautiful and poignant photos I have ever taken. The one of Sachiko fixing Yumi's scarf in front of Maria-sama, the one I call "Discipline," is a perfect example. If I had been only seconds later I would have completely missed that scene, let alone had the opportunity to take that photograph. Today, I happen to once again be in just the right place at just the right time. Someone up there has just got to love me or is looking out for me. If so, I hope they keep it up. I wouldn't want to miss anything like this in the future.

"I hadn't planned on showing this to anyone," she went on to explain quietly, glancing at Youko with a small smile, "but, if how you say you feel about them is true I think you would want and deserve to see this."

With that she brought up the photo that was the only file on the flash drive.

"Oh my," gasped Youko, her hands flying to her mouth, "Oh Maria-sama . . . thank you, thank you," she babbled not being able to take her eyes from the image projected on the large screen.

"She needs this so badly. Oh yes," she continued, jumping up and grabbing Tsutako into a tight hug.

"Tsutako-san, I understand why you didn't want to show this photo to just anyone; but you don't know how much this means to me. Sachiko has needed someone for so long now, and I just haven't been able to give her what she needs. But now . . . Oh, thank you Lord. And thank you, Tsutako-san; thank you for giving me this beautiful, wonderful gift."

Tsutako never believed in a million years that she would ever see the Rosa Chinensis lose her cool in this manner. Yet, she too was grinning like the Cheshire cat that had just eaten a whole flock of canaries. Youko's happiness – no, ecstasy was a better word – was infectious. She too, was as happy for her friend Yumi as she could possibly be. And the reason was there in the photo, projected large as life on the screen before them in full color.

_Sachiko stood before Yumi, hands on the shorter girl's shoulders and both dressed in their full costumes. But the play was the last thing on their minds. They stood on a stage, with everyone around them, but they were the only two people in the world at that moment in time. You could see it in their eyes as they looked at each other. The dawning realization in both of them, at the same exact moment, that they were now, and would forever more be, more than just friends; more than just soeurs. Sachiko's sapphire blue eyes and Yumi's dark brown eyes were both filled to overflowing with the realization that they loved the person standing there in front of them; loved that person more than anyone, more than family, more than friends, more than life itself. _

This was the image that had broken the imperturbable façade that was the Rosa Chinensis. This was the image that Tsutako had been given the divine grace to capture: The exact moment of the birth of love between two individuals; the beautiful blooming of two roses.

The Rosa Chinensis, still smiling that wide smile, forced herself to calm down and tried to explain her unseemly actions calmly to Tsutako.

"I know that you are aware that Sachiko-san is betrothed to Suguru Kashiwagi. What you may not know is that for some time she was deeply in love with Kashiwagi-san, but that he did not return that love. Their families want them to be married since Sachiko is an only child and it is believed that Kashiwagi-san has the abilities to take over the family business and help it thrive. He is willing to marry Sachiko, but it would be a loveless marriage on his part. Sachiko, loving him as she did, and knowing that he was only marrying her for the sake of the families, was devastated. She knows that Kashiwagi-san is aware of her feelings and hopes that he will break off the betrothal on his own, for her sake. He does love her, just not in the same way that she loves . . . or loved . . . him."

With that, Tsutako was able to have the final laugh of the hour or so that they had spent together. She was giggling once again while she fiddled with the computer once more.

"I don't think we have to worry too much about that anymore," she said breaking into full and clear laughter as she zoomed in on the darker space in the photograph between Sachiko and Yumi. There, in the background of that wonderful photo, with the exact same view that Tsutako's camera had captured, just from the opposite side, stood Suguru Kashiwagi. And for some reason, he had the biggest, and most satisfied smile on his face that that she had ever seen.

* * *

Thanks again for reading. Your continued comments and reviews would be greatly appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all for your kind comments. I'm going to channel Pavlov and give you all a dog biscuit, oops, I meant treat. Here is the final chapter for your reading pleasure. Thanks again for everything.

I do not own the characters of MSGM. Such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

* * *

Chapter 4

The next day was the school festival. The Yamayurikai's production of _Cinderella_ was performed to mass acclaim. It looked to Tsutako like even Yumi had gathered a small group of fans following her performance as "Wicked Step-Sister B".

Tsutako had gauged the public's reaction to "Discipline" to a tee and had sold out of her pre-printed 5x7 copies within the first two hours. She had printed up another hundred or so during her first break and, even at ¥400 a piece, she had sold out again by lunch time; at which point her club president had put a stop to her little sideline business. Even after paying back the club for the use of materials, she had a tidy sum of around ¥80,000 for her troubles. She decided to donate ¥10,000 to the club's activities fund, saved out another ¥10,000 for a little project she had decided on, and would put the rest in her bank account for future expenses – maybe a party!

All-in-all she was very pleased with the day's outcome.

As she walked around the festival bonfire later that evening, camera taking in anything and everything that looked interesting to her at the time, she noticed Yumi sitting quietly by herself on the side of a small rise above the crowd. Her arms were around the knees that she had pulled up close to her chest, her eyes staring sadly into the leaping and dancing flames. Tsutako had just decided to go talk to her, and had even taken a few steps in that direction, when she noticed Sachiko treading gracefully and purposely along the top of the rise in Yumi's direction.

Tsutako stood frozen as she watched Sachiko approach Yumi from behind and place a gentle hand on her shoulder. The two spoke briefly and then Sachiko offered Yumi her hand to help her to rise. They began walking slowly together into the gathering darkness, still hand-in-hand.

All of Tsutako's artistic sensors were screaming at her and she quickly took off at a run. It was instinct more than anything, but she absolutely knew in her heart exactly where the two were going.

She reached her chosen vantage point, along the main path between the school gate and the statue of Maria-sama, with just minutes to spare. Edging behind a convenient tree, she was a little further away than she had been that first fateful day when she had snapped a shot of two Lillian school girls, one gently fixing the scarf of the other, but she couldn't get any closer without possible detection. The angle wasn't perfect, but that could easily be taken care of by her zoom, and, as she had predicted, Sachiko and Yumi were slowly approaching the statue of Maria-sama in the early dusk.

She was too far away to hear their words, but good photos needed no translation. The two young women turned to face each other in front of the statue and Sachiko reached up and pulled her rosary from around her neck. She held it out tentatively towards Yumi; hope, anticipation, and dread all warring for dominance in her eyes.

Yumi's eyes, on the other hand, told a completely different story about the emotions roiling inside of her. There was anticipation, of course, but there was neither hope nor dread. Hope had been replaced by a shining delight that sparkled bright and strong from deep within; and dread had no place in those eyes that saw her greatest desire being offered to her.

As Yumi nodded and lowered her head to receive it, Sachiko slowly slid the rosary over her head and allowed it to settle gently into place around her neck. For a moment, Sachiko's hands once again rested lightly on Yumi's shoulders, but then she slowly raised them and took a gentle hold of Yumi's face, lifting it towards her own. Their eyes met and once again contained that look that Tsutako had been lucky enough to capture in the middle of a dress rehearsal.

Slowly and tentatively their faces came closer together. There was no fear here, only anticipation as their lips met for the first time. Sachiko continued to gently hold Yumi's face while Yumi hesitantly gathered Sachiko into her arms and drew the two together. That first kiss became a second, and then a third, each more sure and confident than the last.

Tsutako left them like that, her photos taken and held firmly within her camera and within her heart, giving the two women the privacy they both needed and deserved.

_Epilogue: Ten Years Lat__er_

Tsutako sat at a linen draped table in the back of one of the local bookseller's in her home town. Stacks of her latest photo book were arranged around her as she autographed copies for the multitude of shoppers cramming the large shop to overflowing.

She was not surprised to see that the majority of the patrons were dressed in the middle-school and high-school division's uniforms of Lillian Girl's Academy which was located high on a hill above the small school town.

She had been a guest speaker at Lillian University twice within the last two years, speaking to filled auditoriums of professors and college aged girls about her career as a professional photographer and of her love for the art.

Since her graduation from Lillian's high school division she had spent two years attending that same university before she had dropped out in favor of taking a job as an apprentice photographer for a national fashion magazine. Her star had quickly risen as the editors had recognized and then utilized her obvious talent. Her photos captured more than just the overly thin models wearing the latest in fashion designs from Japan, America, and Europe. Her models never looked bored or purposefully posed to only show the clothing at its best. She was somehow always able to bring out the absolute best in her subjects, showing their zeal, desires, and ultimate humanity in each unique shot.

Within two more years she had gone independent, her talents in high demand by fashion, pop culture, art, and even nature magazines. She preferred the latter over the standard fashion rags, having been lucky enough to land assignments for such publications as _Rolling Stone_, _Cosmopolitan_, _Vanity Fair_, _Esopus_, _Aesthetica_, _Smithsonian_ magazine, and even _National Geographic_.

She had published her first art photography book just two years ago to international acclaim and had followed up with a second book, this one about high school girls around the world, just a year later. It had been that book that had brought her to this point in her life.

Tsutako had stayed in touch with Sachiko, Yumi, and Youko over the years and they frequently gathered together whenever she returned to Japan and the small, local apartment she kept. The four typically would meet at least three or four times a year to catch up on their lives and the latest gossip of family, classmates, and Lillian in general.

Although Tsutako had never found herself either a grande or petite soeur of her own during her stay at Lillian, she had been unofficially adopted by the Rosa Chinensis family as an adjunct member – something like a much loved cousin she thought. However, now that her career had taken off and she had more than enough money banked away to last her for a long while, she was seriously considering taking a few years off to get her own life in order. She had spent so much time on the road, living in everything from grand hotels to village huts in Africa and the Middle East, that she had never had the time to form any long lasting relationships beyond those with her three best friends.

And Youko had remained single throughout that time; always there when Tsutako needed a friend, confidant or, sometimes, and not often enough to her mind, lover. She wanted to take the necessary time to see if the two of them could make more of their relationship than it currently was. She had found that she cared deeply for Youko, more so than their current relationship allowed or deserved, and she wanted to believe that the feelings were mutual.

It was during one of their last get-togethers at a local tea shop a little over six months ago that her latest book had been born.

After the school festival all those years ago, Tsutako had taken ¥10,000 of her profits from the sales of copies of "Discipline" and, along with a desktop publishing program and some help from a local bookbinder, had prepared three copies of a "coffee table book" of the photos that she and Youko had poured over that afternoon.

It had taken her a lot of thought, but she had finally decided to include the final two photos that she had taken, of Sachiko giving Yumi her rosary, and of Yumi and Sachiko kissing in front of the statue of Maria-sama, as the closing photos in the book. Making sure that it wouldn't be premature, she had grudgingly waited until their first anniversary together to, with no small amount of trepidation, present the lovers with a copy of the book. They had been sitting together at a local restaurant, out of the way from the normal gaggle of students that surrounded the two campus idols and "Most-Adored Soeurs" (as published by the _Lillian Kawaraban_), sipping Earl Grey tea and nibbling on scones when she had brought out the tastefully wrapped book and presented it to them without a word.

The two had opened the package together, slight confusion turning to wonder in their large, expressive eyes, as they thumbed through the book. They smiled and giggled as they quietly pointed to one picture or another as they went slowly through the pages, finally gasping in unison as they came to the last two photos in the book.

Tears welled up in their eyes as they looked first at the photos, then at each other, and finally at Tsutako sitting quietly in the corner of the booth with anticipation.

It was Sachiko that finally spoke, asking a simple, "How?"

Tsutako answered with her own, short response: "Divine luck."

A little over eight years later, she, Yumi, Sachiko, and Youko had once again met for tea at a local shop and were discussing the popularity of her latest book about high school girls around the world. It was Youko that had quietly ventured the idea of publishing the book of Yumi and Sachiko pictures as a sequel given the current book's great international popularity.

Tsutako had given Youko the second of the three copies she had made of that book so long ago. She had kept the third for herself. She half expected Yumi and Sachiko to protest vociferously against the idea, but the two had gone quiet and looked at each other, communicating without words like only long-time friends and lovers could.

They had both nodded at the same time and then given their whole-hearted support for the project. Sachiko's and Yumi's relationship had been acknowledged, first happily by Kashiwagi-san, and then quietly accepted by both of their families. There was no mistaking the love between the two and the families loved them both enough to accept that love for what it was. They kept a low profile while they were still attending high school, but came out into the open with their relationship when they both attended the school's university.

So there was no question of embarrassing anyone should the book be published, except maybe a few of the older Catholic Sisters still at Lillian that refused to move into the 21st century when it came to same-sex relationships.

It didn't take much in the way of arm twisting to talk her into the idea, and her publisher's, once they had seen the collection, had paid handsomely for the right to put it out.

Which brought her to where she was today; sitting behind a linen draped table, surrounded by copies of her latest book and what seemed like hundreds of girls in the various uniforms of Lillian Girl's Academy.

As she was presented with yet another copy for signature, this time by a young girl in a middle school's uniform, she once again looked at the picture adorning the cover of the book. Even after ten years, "Discipline" evoked strong memories and emotions in her.

"Sensei," the girl asked tentatively, bringing Tsutako out of her reverie.

"I'm so sorry, dear. I was just woolgathering a bit. Did you want me to personalize it for you" she asked.

"If you wouldn't mind sensei, could you write 'To Yumi, with love'?

"My dear girl," she responded with a bright smile, putting pen to the inside cover page of the book, "I could write that all day long." It was only when she had finished with a flourish that she realized that she had not asked the girl how she spelled her name.

"I'm so sorry, I just forgot to ask. I can re-write it on a new copy if you like," Tsutako stammered.

"No, it's perfect. I don't know how you knew, but you got it right. Thank you very much, sensei, and good day," the girl giggled, taking back the book and hurrying off.

Tsutako smiled wistfully as she watched the girl walk gracefully through the crowd, never disturbing the pleats of her skirt or the lay of her collar as she made her way over to a group of her friends, her newly autographed copy of _Roses Blooming_ clutched possessively against the bow-tied ribbon above her breast.

* * *

Well, that's it for this story. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. As I said at the very beginning, this is actually the first story I ever wrote for this site, so while the timeline follows directly after "Before Sachiko", it truely is a stand-alone story. The next couple of stories (yes, there are more) will be one-shots in my attempt to prove that I can write a story without the name "Tsutako" in it. :) Look for the first one sometime this weekend.

And again, thanks to all of you for joining me on this ride and I hope you had fun. As always, reviews and comments will be most warmly welcomed.


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